Monroe debates tree cutting, highway dept. issues

The town of Monroe continued its public hearing on the potential zoning amendment regarding tree preservation. During the March 4th meeting, Conservation Commission Chairman Dennis Fordham addressed the Monroe Town Board and answered questions on the impact of the legislation on the commission.

The amended zoning law would determine when trees could be removed from a property by the owner without a permit.

Fordham responded to concerns of enforcement and additional funding, saying that it might be necessary, depending upon what gets passed in the law. He noted that the commission already has an arborist on board and might need a forester, but wants to make that determination after the law is passed.

“I am concerned the law will be an added burden to the Conservation Commission and to the building inspector and to the planning board. I think we need to consider those very seriously,” said Fordham.

Fordham added that while he and many others would like to preserve every tree, he understands this isn’t possible, and that people who take down the occasional tree shouldn’t be overburdened any more than is reasonable.

The board agreed to keep the public hearing on the matter of tree preservation open until March 18.

General funds

At the meeting the board also addressed funding matters, including the approval of about $5.7 million from the general fund for various projects.

Supervisor Tony Cardone explained that this funding included about $1.4 million to the library, $2.3 million to the fire district, about $685,000 to the Moodna Sewer District and about $318,000 to Smith Clove Park. Cardone stated that this represents the largest monthly abstract the town will have all year.

Energy upgrades

Energy demand was also on the agenda at Monday’s meeting, as the board discussed and approved an agreement that would allow Orange & Rockland to place a temporary mobile substation in town.

Representing O&R, attorney Leslie Snyder addressed the board, stating that the temporary substation was needed to meet increased energy demands. She further commented that there will be a need for some improvements to a permanent substation in a few years.

Other business

Among the more contentious issues of Monday’s meeting was the discussion over the town’s agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the union which represents employees of the Highway Department. Councilwoman Maureen Richardson voiced her concerns with the agreement, particularly on the removal of the deputy highway superintendent position from the contract.

Commenting on the removal of the position from the contract, Richardson claimed this amounted to a step down in quality. Richardson expressed her concerns about the department’s ability to address issues if the superintendent was unavailable and argued the town had the authority to appoint a deputy.

Members of the board, including Supervisor Cardone, refuted these claims, and argued that while the town may choose to appoint a deputy, they are not required to do so. Cardone added that if Highway Superintendent James “Pat” Patterson chooses to have a deputy it’s his call, not the town board’s call.“I don’t think we should be meddling in Pat’s business,” said Cardone.

Richardson represented the sole “nay” vote on the agreement, which was approved by majority vote.

In addition to her concerns with the highway contract, Richardson shared her reservations about the way the Monroe Town Board operates. She shared that after the executive session following the last town board meeting, she was left with a list of liaison positions she thought was abnormal. She disagreed with the notion that only certain members of the board could deal with matters of interest to the public and that she was limited in her capacity to serve as an elected official.

“I ran on the Preserve Monroe [platform] and I am not allowed to work on matters of preservation,” said Richardson. “I’m not allowed to speak with town employees or my own state senator without going through a liaison.”

Richardson further asked what the people are paying for if she is unable to use her talents to best serve the public.

Referring to the liaison list, Richardson stated, “This list is ridiculous. The way you conduct yourself is borderline illegal and I will not accept it.”

The town board was also called into question by Monroe resident and former board member Dan Burke, who argued that the two minority-party board members should be allowed to choose their own attorney. Claiming the town supervisor tried to silence another board member and move to adjourn the meeting while that councilwoman was speaking, Burke said an attorney representing the minority would have stepped in and raised a point of order.

Burke was alluding to a moment at the end of the Feb. 5 meeting when Richardson criticized an answer that the supervisor gave to Burke during his public comment time, at which point Cardone moved to end the board meeting.

Supervisor Cardone defended town attorney, Brian Nugent, and urged Burke to speak with him directly.

“We have an attorney here that represents both Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and anyone else that is before this board. He is as fair as they get. And to infer that he does not represent councilwoman Richardson or Councilwoman Bingham is far from the truth,” said Cardone.

Nugent addressed the matter directly, saying, “I don’t care what gets said in public comment, but to infer that somehow I’m not representing members of this board without any basis of knowledge or fact. I don’t look at board members as the minority or the majority of the board. I work for the board.”